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Men who suffer from anxiety are more than twice as likely to die from cancer than those who do not, a major new study has found.

A survey of nearly 16,000 people over 15 years found that the correlation held true regardless of other factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity, however the association was not shared by women.

Scientists involved in the research have now called for doctors to treat anxiety as a major physiological health risk and “more than just a personality trait”.

A large number of people are affected by anxiety and its potential effects on health are substantialOlivia Remes, Cambridge University

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) affects around 5 per cent of the adult population and is characterised by excessive and uncontrollable worry about many areas of life.

While the European Prospective Investigation research is not able to prove that anxiety causes cancer, experts say the findings support speculation that bodily stress caused by mental stress in GAD patients goes on to weaken functions such as the immune system.

The fact that the male correlation between anxiety and cancer deaths is not shared by women is also unexplained.

However, lead research Olivia Remes, of Cambridge University, said the reason could be because women are more likely to seek swift treatment for anxiety, whereas men tend to wait longer before seeking help, or not get treatment at all.

One in two people will born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime, according to Cancer Research UK.

“Researchers, policy-makers and clinicians don’t give enough importance to anxiety and this needs to change,” she said.

“A large number of people are affected by anxiety and its potential effects on health are substantial.”

Previous studies have looked at whether anxiety is associated with death from major causes of disease, but the findings have been mixed.

Professor David Nutt, of Imperial College London, said the new findings did not surprise him.

“The intense distress that these people suffer often on a daily basis is usually associated with a great deal of bodily stress that is bound to have a major impact on many psychological process including immune supervision of cancerous cells,” he said.